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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. 0. GIBSON. GAR COUPLING. No. 487,367. Patgnted Dec. 6, 1892.

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W lH' LW fi @KW ,VZW ym ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFIGE.

THOMAS C. GIBSON, OF IVASI-IINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,367, dated December 6, 1892. Application filed September 1, 1892. 7 Serial No. 444,812. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. GIBSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to automatic car-couplers; and it consists in certain peculiaritiesin the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts, substantially as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure l is an inverted plan view, partly in section and with parts broken away, of two couplers constructed in accordance with my invention, said couplers being shown as coupled together. Fig. 2 is a front View of one of my improved couplers, showing the parts thereof in the position they occupy when uncoupled and ready to be coupled. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the meansfor turning the coupling-rod. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the latch.

The same letters of reference designate the same parts in the several figures.

A designates one member of my improved coupler, and B the other member thereof.

The member A consists of a rod 0, which passes through openings in beams or plates 0 which are secured to the car-body at different points and depend therefrom. Said rod 0 has at its forward end a head a, which projects outward from opposite sides thereof, and it is also provided with an encircling coilspring 0, which tends to keep it normally in its foremost position and yet permits it to have an endwise movement for an obvious purpose, and with a weight O ,which tends to keep it in such position that its head a will be horizontal, which position said head occupies when cars provided with my coupler are coupled together thereby. This rod is also provided with projections o and 0 the former serving to limit the endwise movement of said rod and the latter providing an abutment for said spring 0.

The member B consists of a draw-head D, having its draw-bar (1 extending loosely through openings in the supporting beams or plates D This draw-bar is encircled by a spring d,wl1ich tends to keep the draw-head in its foremost position, and has a projection (1 which provides an abutment for said coiled spring.

The draw-head D (shown in the drawings) consists of a horizontal plate D, having a suitable opening d at its forward end and a vertical plate D" of suitable length secured near its upper end to said plate D and having a vertical opening d of substantially the same width as the body of said rod 0, but of considerably-greater length than the diameter of the same. The openings d" and d jointly form the mouth of the draw-head, and

it will be observed that they are such relative Widths as to leave shoulders (1 within the draw-head at the rear of said opening (1".

In operation the forward end of rod 0 enters said opening d", and its head 0 is then automatically turned to horizontal position and engages the rear sides of shoulders 61 thus coupling the cars together.

I will now describe a simple and practical means for keeping the rod 0 in such position that its head may enter or leave said opening (1 and for automatically releasing the rod at a proper time, so as to permit the weight C on said rod to drop by gravity and turn the rod to a position at right angles to that which it formerly occupied.

F designates a rock-shaft, which is jour- To uncouple the cars, it is only When said lever is turned to vertical position, it is automatically engaged by a springpressed latch I, the forward end of which projects through an opening in the front plate or beam 0 and has at one side a hook t'. This latch by engaging the lever holds the forward end of the rod 0 in position toenterthe drawhead D. Said latch has at its front end, on the side thereof opposite the hook 2', a projection I, which is of such length that it will be engaged by draw-head D of an approaching car when the headed end of rod 0 has reached a position immediately at the rear of shoulders C1 and said latch thereby being forced out of engagement with said lever, thus allowing the weight to act in the manner above described to turn the coupling-rod, whereby the cars are automatically coupled. The outer side of plate D is beveled to opening d, so as to direct the end of rod 0 into the opening in the draw-head when said rod and drawhead come together in other but a direct line, and the lower end of said plate is connected with the draw-bar d, and thereby strengthened, by means of an inclined rod d The leverI-I is of such length as to extend slightly beyond or to the side of the car when horizontal, so as to obviate the necessity for entrance between the cars to uncouple, and may also be provided with a rod or chain H, whereby the lever may be raised by an operator on the car.

Each car is provided at each end with both members A and B, the member A on one end being arranged opposite the member B on the other end,the purpose of which is obvious.

In shifting cars it is frequently desirable that they be not coupled when brought together, and to this end I have provided the coupling with pins J, which are suitably hung from the forward plates or beams O and are adapted to enter openings j in said plates or beams adjacent to said levers H, and thereby hold the latter in vertical position when the latches are disengaged therefrom, and thus keep the heads 0 of rod 0 vertical. The coupling'is also preferably provided with bumperrods K, having encircling coil-springs K, which take up the shock incident to the shunting of the cars and to the bringing of the cars together, and thus assists in preventing injury to the couplings.

The draw-head D is supported and guided on ways D consisting of two rods projecting downward from the car-body beside the plate D thereof and having in ward-projecting ends upon which said plate rests and slides in its endwise movement.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise construction herein shown'and described, as many of the details thereof may be altered or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, instead of making the drawhead of a horizontal and avertical plate each having an opening it may consist of a solid casting formed within its interior with a chamber of sufficiently-greater diameter than its mouth to leave shoulders immediately at the rear of said mouth for engagement of heads 0 of rod 0.

Having now described my invention, I claim 1. In a car-coupler, the combination of the draw-head, a weighted rod having a head at its outer end, a rock-shaft located adjacent to said rod and connected therewith, an uncouplinglever connected with said rock-shaft, and a latch engaging said lever when the same is in raised position.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of the.

draw-head having shoulders within its mouth, the weighted rod 0, having a headed end, a rock-shaft connected with said rod, an uncoupling-lever connected with the said rockshaft, and a spring-pressed latch engaging said lever when the same is in raised position, said latch having a projection designed to be engaged by the draw-head of the cooperating coupler when the cars are being brought together for coupling, for the purpose specified.

3. In a car-coupler, the combination of the draw-head having shoulders within its mouth, a rod having a headed end, a weight connected with one side of said rod, a rock-shaft having a disk, a chain connecting said disk with the side of said rod opposite said weight, an uncoupling-lever secured to the end of said rock-shaft, and a spring-pressed latch engaging said uncoupling lever when the same is in raised position, said latch having a projection designed to be engaged by the draw-head on an approaching car, substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.

4. In a car-coupler, the combination of the draw-head having shoulders within its mouth, a weighted rod 0, having a headed end, an uncoupling-lever connected with said rod and serving to partly rotate the same, and a springpressed latch engaging said uncoupling-lever when the same is in raised position, said latch having a projection designed to be engaged by the draw-head on an approaching car, substantially as described.

5. In a car-coupler, the combination of the draw-head having its draw-bar provided with an encircling coil-spring, the coupling-rod 0, having an encircling coil-spring and provided on its outer end with a head, and springpressed bumper-rods movably supported beneath the car-body in line with the draw-head on the next adjacent car, all substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.

6. In a car-coupler, the combination of the draw-head having shoulders within its mouth,

the coupling inoperative, substantially as described. 10

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS C. GIBSON. Witnesses:

R. H. TAYLOR, E. H. BLAGKMAN. 

